Watered-Down Motorcycle Helmet Laws Means Higher Death Rates in Florida

A weakening of Florida’s motorcycle helmet laws led to a dramatic decrease in the use of helmets in this state. According to researchers at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, those changes also significantly increased the number of motorcyclist death rates in Florida, involving both single and multiple vehicle crashes.

In July 2000, Florida’s universal helmet law was revised. Motorcycle riders aged 21 and above and riders whose insurance coverage provided at least $10,000 in medical benefits for any injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident were not required to wear helmets.

According to the study, helmet use by motorcyclists in Florida fell from a near 100% rate in 1998 - before the helmet law change - to just 53% in 2002.  Motorcycle registration also increased by 56% during that period.

The study, using data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, found that motorcycle crashes in the state increased by 37% between 1998 and 2002 – and motorcycle crash deaths, during that time, increased by 75%.

The study also reveals that the costs of injuries sustained by unhelmeted, adult motorcycle riders in Florida went well beyond the state’s required $10,000 medical insurance coverage – and that the state’s weakened helmet laws contributed to the deaths of 117 motorcyclists during 2001-2002.

Reference: Kyrychenko Y, McCartt AT. Traffic Inj Prev 2006;7:55-60.

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